Baby Its Cold Outside
by Korderoo
Summary: Just a fluffy Christmas piece inspired by the Christmas song "Baby Its Cold Outside"...when Regina calls Emma over on a winter night, she has a plan to ensnare a White Knight. Rating shifted to M for chapter 3 - please be warned if Remma smut offends you. :)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So it's not exactly a songfic in the traditional sense, but this is a definitely song-inspired fit and a bit of Christmas fluff. I hope that perhaps you'll enjoy it. Please let me know what you think! Thank you for reading!**

**Baby Its Cold Outside**

Emma Swan, for all her childlike qualities, had always resented the relentless cheeriness of Christmas. There were things she loved about the winter like playing in the snow, or the patterns of ice on her window in the morning making the world look jeweled and bright. As a fervent lover of hot chocolate and fuzzy hats, she didn't even mind the cold weather. It's just…Christmas always felt like she was reaching for the life she could have had if she had a family, if she wasn't alone. Even more than birthdays or other holidays, she felt her solitude as she glanced through windows to see ornamented trees decorated by families, saw impetuous smiles on adults and unbridled glee in children.

Despite being together with family for the first time in her life, who all were clearly elated in being together, Emma only felt that the incessant cookie baking of Snow, the ridiculous Santa hat that Charming insisted on wearing, and Henry's obsession with singing Christmas songs only made her feel more out of place than ever.

So when her phone rang mid-gingerbread palace creation, Emma did not hesitate to stand up from the table and walk out to take the call in her room.

"Sheriff Swan", she said quickly and with great relief.

Silence was the only reply for several seconds, and she looked down at her phone to identify the person calling her with a frown.

"Regina? I have caller ID…is everything ok?"

"Miss Swan, I…yes, everything is fine. I just wondered if…I know that it's nearly Christmas and you probably want to be with your family, but I wanted to discuss tomorrow's tree lighting, if you have the time".

Emma had never heard the usually unshakable mayor sound so nervous before. She instinctually felt that something must be wrong. Perhaps Regina, who was still struggling in her recovery from using magic, was having a difficult time. As soon as she thought this, Emma's heart sank. Of course the mayor was having difficulty during the Christmas season when she did not have Henry for company or anyone else. Knowing all too well the intense loneliness of the season, Emma opened her mouth to reply but Regina responded quickly, clearly regaining her footing, "Of course you probably have plans with Henry and your…parents. It can wait"

"No! I'll be right over, give me ten minutes" Emma said and disconnected the call.

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As she heard the quick response, Regina lowered her own phone back to her desk, her heart racing. Although she had always considered herself to be powerful in the art of seduction, the tawny haired sheriff gave her butterflies that she had not experienced since she was little more than a girl. She smoothed her hands over her pristine skirt and looked around the room. Nearly everything was perfectly in place. The flames were licking the logs in the fireplace in a very enticing manner. She pulled out two fine crystal glasses to be filled with her oldest and most premium apple cider before sweeping her hands through her hair nervously.

_It's time to set aside the mayor tonight, Regina, and bring out a little touch of evil_, she thought to herself. Her lips curled up in a mischievous grin as she recited her plan in her mind once again. With a start, she realized that she had forgotten the most critical part of the plan.

As she walked to the window, under which sat her perfect poinsettia plants, she felt a moment of reluctance. After all, she had promised Henry that she would not use magic. Still, she felt certain that he would not object to this particular spell and the effect it was sure to have tomorrow. She comforted herself with the thought that this was hardly dark magic and therefore it should not have the seductive pull that she found so hard to resist. She raised her hands and brought forth gusty winds and a few lazily drifting flakes of snow.

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When the wind kicked up, Emma pulled her red leather jacket tighter around her, wishing she had not decided to walk to the mayor's mansion. She had been drinking eggnog liberally laced with bourbon to help her through the merriness at the apartment, and had decided it would not be wise to take the bug.

For a moment, she debated turning back to the apartment, but she realized that she had left her car keys in the apartment, and the thought of walking into the apartment to get them and enduring another "cup of cheer" from her family made her quickly dismiss the thought. Besides, she was only a few minutes away from Regina's and the lightly falling snow was sort-of pretty. She wondered if it would keep up tonight. It would be lovely to have snow on the ground for the tree lighting tomorrow.

The only part of Christmas that Emma liked were the beautiful lights. She had always felt that they were welcoming her into a spirit that she otherwise could not embrace. The cheery glow made her feel lit up inside, ever since she was a child. One of her foster families that had been good to her in Connecticut had lived on Candy Cane lane. She would walk in awe through the street each year to look at the different colors and patterns of lights that people put on display.

As she rounded the corner and came into view of the mayor's house, she gasped. While the mansion was ordinarily one of the most stately and well-maintained homes in Storybrooke, it was like a Christmas card come to life during this season. She blew out a breath that hung in the air for a moment as she looked at the simple yet beautiful white lights that graced the mayor's home. With the snow, beginning to really come down now, gently collecting on the slope of the lawn, she thought it was exactly what a home should look like.

Feeling nervous now for no reason she could identify, she resumed walking and within moments found herself in front of the gleaming 108 on Regina's front door. It twinkled at her reflecting the lights above and Emma unconsciously drew in a breath as she brought up her fist to knock.

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Regina had watched the Sheriff walk up toward the house as the snow began to pick up in earnest, but she waited behind the door for just a moment to answer. She took those brief heartbeats to straighten her shoulders, flip back her hair, and plant a winning smile on her lips. As she opened the door, however, she felt her prepared feeling flutter to the ground like so much snow as she took in the sight before her.

Emma Swan was, of course, wearing that ridiculous red jacket that Regina had secretly come to adore as it represented the bold, brassy nature of the woman it hugged so tightly. Her head was topped with a ridiculous wooly hat with a pom-pom on top that looked far too big, albeit warm. But it was the halo of curls around her rosy cheeks and the tiny snowflakes clinging to her eyelashes that made Regina's breath catch. She noticed Emma shivering and quickly recovered, graciously sweeping her arm back and saying "Please, come in Miss Swan. Let me take your coat and hat".

Emma returned her smile and said "Thank you, Madam Mayor".

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Emma was beyond surprised when Regina stepped behind her to help her take her coat off. She had assumed that the mayor would want to hang it up, but not that she would seek to take it off herself. As Regina's fingertips brushed her shoulders, she felt herself flushing and shivering again, but this time not from the cold outside. She had hoped that the mayor wouldn't notice the involuntary reaction, but Regina quickly said,

"You must be freezing, it's gotten so cold outside. Please come into the lounge. I have a fire going and some cider, you'll be warmed up in no time". She couldn't resist guiding Emma toward the room with a hand on the small of her back. She was nervous to have initiated the contact, but felt the warmth spread from her fingers up her arm as she ushered the Sheriff toward the room. Reluctantly, she allowed her hand to drop as she indicated that Emma should take a seat on the settee and went to pour them both a drink.

"So…how are you Regina?" she heard behind her. She felt reluctant to tell the truth, that she had been lonelier than at any point in her life. Without Henry in her home, it seemed far too quiet and orderly. Without her job to occupy her time, she had been spending far too much of it brooding over the absence of her son…and of a certain unnamed Sheriff. She had come to realize that she missed Emma nearly as much as her son, and once she had addressed her confusion, became determined in the way that she had always been with a goal in sight…relentless.

Deciding this was far too much information for such a casual inquiry, she replied "I've been fine, dear. Preparing for the holiday season as I'm sure you have been", with this she turned and handed Emma a glass brimming with cider. As she delivered it, their eyes met and she felt a flush run over her skin to her cheeks.

Emma seemed not to have noticed as she rolled her eyes and muttered something about "living with a bunch of fricking elves….". Regina chuckled and mused "With all of your childlike inclinations, I would have expected you to be overjoyed for the Christmas season to be upon us".

Emma did not look at her, but replied with surprising bitterness in her voice "Yeah, well even as a child, I learned that Christmas is for people with happy families, not friendless orphans".

Regina's heart sank at the pain in her voice and at the thought that she herself was the reason that pain was inflicted. She quickly took a large gulp of her cider enjoying the burning sensation it sent down her throat and chest before settling on a lighter topic. "About the tree lighting…"

Emma seemed relieved for the change of subject and looked up as Regina continued "Last year, there was an…incident. I wanted you to have fair warning in case there was a repeat this year. Apparently, in some cities, there is a tradition of men dressing in full Santa gear and parading through town singing baudy songs…"

Emma had taken a large drink of her cider and nodded vigorously, "I saw that once in Boston! They dress like Santa and go from bar to bar singing dirty Christmas songs! I thought it was one of the better traditions, actually" she said with a mischievous grin.

"Yes, well, dear, when it's just the one Santa, who happens to be Leroy, who happens to let his….bowl full of jelly out when he runs past the tree lighting naked in front of the town children, you might find it less charming."

Emma's eyes widened momentarily with shock before she choked on her cider and began to furiously cough and laugh at the same time. She laughed until tears rolled down her cheeks and her stomach ached from the strain of it. Regina sat smirking, pleased with herself for making the blonde sheriff laugh and feeling warmth spread through her that had nothing to do with the crackling fire or the alcohol burning through her body. She felt her nerve endings come alive with a jolt and realized how long it had been since she had shared such pleasant company, in fact, she couldn't remember a time that she ever had.

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Emma recovered from her fit of laughter, wiping the tears from her cheeks and feeling the tension she had not even realized she'd been holding slip away. As she did, she glanced around the room. It was, as always, immaculate, but the Christmas decorations in here were different than those in the foyer or the parlor. She stood up to walk closer to the small Christmas tree on a table in the corner, noticing with surprise that it did not hold the beautiful and fragile looking ornaments the tree in the great room did, but rather a small collection of clearly homemade ornaments as well as ten little picture frame ornaments, each holding a different snapshot of a smiling Henry for each year of his life.

As she leaned in closer to look at a particular picture of a toothless Henry wearing a cowboy hat, gun holster, and star, she heard Regina right behind her saying "Yes, that was the stage just before the fairy tales. I suppose it's no wonder that his mother turned out to be the Sheriff type, he always wanted to face down the criminals at high noon".

Emma had not heard Regina move in behind her and started at the sound at first, but found herself smiling at the words. "This tree is so different from the rest of the house, Regina. It's so….personal".

Regina smiled and said "Yes, I always had to have the elaborate decorations befitting the mayor's mansion, but to be honest, I rather prefer this one. I'll tell you a secret Miss Swan…" and she leaned close, her breath warming Emma's ear as she whispered "I'm rather a simple girl at heart".

Emma felt that she should respond, should participate in the easy banter that had always existed between them. But between the warmth she felt in looking at baby Henry, or the warmth radiating off of the still far too close mayor, she found herself unable to think quite straight. For something to do, she took another drink of her cider and realized with a start that her glass was empty. She looked at Regina standing beside her and realized with a start that she was close enough to embrace, and even more surprisingly, she felt absolutely compelled to do it.

It must be the cider, or the intimacy of the moment. She knew that the mayor couldn't be feeling what she was, her heart racing such that she could feel her pulse in her every finger. She decided she had probably stayed too long and with a monumental effort said,

"I really should go."

Regina dropped her gaze for just a moment and looked over to the window before saying, "I don't see your car, how did you get here, Miss Swan?"

"I, well, I walked here."

"Well, then I simply cannot allow you to leave, it's far too cold outside to walk back, take a look at that storm."

Emma looked outside and realized that the snow was coming down thick and heavy. It seemed like it must be half a foot already. "It's so odd, though…earlier today, it was like fifty degrees, and now all of the sudden there's a blizzard?"

With an abrupt shake of her head and uncomfortable shift of her feet, Regina reached out for Emma's empty glass saying "Global warming, dear. The weather is so unpredictable." As she reached for Emma's glass, their fingers touched and at once Regina put both glasses down with a clatter and gathered Emma's hands in her own, "My goodness dear, your hands are just like ice". She began to rub them between her own hands while Emma watched her, amazed. She began to feel the heat circulate at once, and not just in her hands, but down into the pit of her stomach.

When Regina brought Emma's hands up to her mouth and breathed upon them while continuing to run her hands over the outside, Emma's eyelids grew heavy and she gave a small contented sigh. Regina looked up at the rosy cheeked, blonde haired woman before her and reflected on her resemblance to a Christmas angel. Except that this one was evoking sensations that were far from angelic in her.

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Emma was lost. The moment that the mayor had taken her hands into her own and began to warm her, she felt that she had lost the power to control this situation. Oddly, though, she felt no fear at this, instead feeling a heady, light sensation in giving herself over to the sensations rushing from her hands through her arms and into the rest of her body.

After a moment, she felt the mayor lower her hands but not release them. She opened her eyes to find the mayor looking at her lips with heavy-lidded eyes. She felt her tongue involuntarily light over her own lips for a moment under her scrutiny and heard the quick intake of breath from the mayor.

What was she doing? Not only was this woman her adversary in day to day life, she was constantly in competition for her son's attention, she was the enemy of her mother and father, she was…breathtakingly, stupidly beautiful with her pouting lips and her chocolate colored eyes.

Seeking to find some stability Emma said "My…um…mother and father will probably wonder what's happened to me."

Regina ignored this as she steered Emma over to the fireplace and set her down directly in front of the roar. She stated "I simply won't hear of it Miss Swan, I'm certain that they wouldn't want you to freeze to death just to make it home in time for cookies and cocoa".

"Well, maybe just a half glass of cider" Emma said with a genuine smile. In truth, she felt no inclination to go back outside into what looked to be a raging snowstorm when she had a fire, a drink, and a stunning companion to spend the evening with.

Regina's mouth curled into a predatory smile that made Emma feel woozy and she said "Why don't you select some music, dear, while I pour us another glass?"

Emma reached over to the Ipod dock on the mantel and flipped through the selection, surprised by many of Regina's musical tastes (she had a whole selection of showtunes?) before settling on Ella Fitzgerald. She watched appreciatively as Regina's hips began to sway to the music as she bent down to pour them a glass of cider in her charcoal pencil skirt.

"I wonder what the town would think of us weathering the storm together if they knew, the evil queen and the savior", she had meant it in an offhand way but she noticed the slight straightening of the spine as Regina turned and walked back to hand her a glass.

"Regina I…I don't know why I said that, I didn't mean…I know you're not…geez what's in this drink?" Emma asked but did not hesitate to take another healthy gulp as she stuttered.

"They'd probably think that I'd put you under some spell" Regina muttered looking at Emma, whose green eyes were glowing in reflection of the firelight and her cider-induced fever. Her voice dropped an octave as she continued, "When truthfully Miss Swan, I believe it is you who has enchanted me." As she said this last part, she reached out a hand and delicately whispered her finger along Emma's cheek, "Your eyes are like stars right now, and despite that ridiculous hat, I love the curl in your hair" and her fingers continued over her ear and into the tawny mane.

"Regina, I…probably shouldn't, you're my boss" Emma knew how lame the words sounded before they'd even fully left her mouth, but she felt so unprepared for this gentleness in the mayor, she felt herself tremble as Regina's hand found the nape of her neck and began to pull her closer. As her lashes dipped lower over her eyes she thought to herself _"Well, at least I tried"._

Regina simply pressed one finger over Emma's lip and said "Shhhh" before leaning in and planting a feather light kiss on the Sheriff's lips. Emma's body exploded with sensation as the light pressure became more insistent and moaned when the mayor traced her tongue over her bottom lip.

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Emma's moan lit a fire in Regina's belly that made her feel like she would explode with happiness. She pulled the younger woman closer and moved her hand down from her neck to the small of her back, trailing her fingers lightly along the way. When Emma opened her mouth and allowed their tongues to meet, Regina shuddered. She pulled back and looked at the woman in front of her and allowed a radiant smile to light her face. Emma's eyes were still closed and she pouted at the loss of contact before opening her eyes and lazily grinned back at Regina.

Regina slid her hands down Emma's arms and took her hands. She placed Emma's cider on the table and pulled her to her feet. Emma looked confused but followed where she was led. Regina pulled her into an embrace in the middle of the room, her arms around her neck. When Emma leaned down to kiss her again, she smiled but turned her face away. She placed Emma's hand on her waist and took the other in her own, indicating her intention.

Emma immediately looked nervous "Wait, no I've never done this before, I don't know how to dance." Regina held her firm and locked her gaze on the green eyes she found to be so intriguing. "Come dear, it's simple, just one foot and then the other". Without waiting for a response, she began to sway and move them in a small circle, the throaty tones of Ella Fitzgerald providing the perfect atmosphere to continue.

After a moment, Emma relaxed into the dance and allowed Regina to pull her closer, resting their cheeks together. Regina sighed happily as Emma moved her hand down to circle Regina's waist and allowed herself to be pulled even closer into the embrace. She felt the rumble of Emma's chuckle vibrating against her as she said "I certainly did not expect this when I left Santa's workshop tonight".

Regina moved away momentarily to walk over next to the door, where she turned the dimmer switch making the room romantically full of shadow and flickering firelight. As she returned to Emma, she looked out and marveled at how much snow had already fallen without the slightest sign of stopping. She certainly had intended to make it difficult for Emma to leave but as they grew closer and touched, it seemed that the magic inside her had swelled until the storm had become a veritable blizzard.

She resumed her place within Emma's arms and couldn't help noticing how intoxicating the smell of cinnamon was as she smelled her hair. Her gaze returned to Emma's lips again which looked deliciously kiss-smudged and were blissfully turned up at the corners. She couldn't help but reach in and steal another quick kiss, tasting the cider and Emma's lip balm as she did. She smiled millimeters from Emma's lips moaning "Your lips are delicious".

As they swayed together, oblivious to the outside world, the citizens of Storybrooke marveled that they had never seen such a blizzard before. In one house in particular, the absence of a certain sheriff was suddenly felt.

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Emma groaned with frustration as her phone buzzed in her pocket just as she was leaning in to trace her tongue across that fascinating scar on the mayor's upper lip.

"Hello? Mary Margaret…no, I'm fine, I'm at the mayor's mansion. We were just…discussing some issues for tomorrow's tree lighting and the weather…yes, I know it's a blizzard…yes, I understand that you are worried, I'm sorry I didn't mean to worry you, I…yes I'll…I'll head back as soon as the snow clears up a bit."

Regina for her part was not making the conversation easier. Instead of moving away when the phone had run, she had moved behind the sheriff and was spelling out her name with her fingers over Emma's back. She felt the delicious shivers emanating from those places the mayors fingers traced and shuddered, turning around and capturing her hands while widening her eyes and making a face.

"I…yes, just tell Henry I'm fine and I'll be back…" instead of ceasing and desisting, Regina was now skating her fingers across Emma's taught abdomen, making her gasp mid-sentence and flush bright red… "Um… Mary-Marg…Snow…um Mom…I gotta go…call you later." She said and glared (playfully at the mayor before drawing her in close…"That was not very nice".

"Well dear, they do call me the Evil Queen," Regina replied with a wicked grin.

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Regina felt truly wicked for the first time in years as she drew Emma in for a scorching kiss that left them both breathless. She ran her hands through the younger woman's mane of blonde hair feeling the curls tangle around her fingers in the most delightful way. She had been longing for some time to make her feelings known to the intoxicating woman in her arms and had found the experience to be even more magical than she had imagined.

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Emma sighed happily and pulled Regina down onto the couch with her and pulled her in to lay across her lap. She ran long fingers through raven hair and smiled into her hair when Regina shivered and moved closer. She knew that things were changed forever between them after tonight, and found she was suddenly looking forward to the tree-lighting ceremony tomorrow. The thought of spending it sharing stolen glances, maybe even sneaking out of sight for a stolen kiss or two, with the enchanting woman in her arms gave her a happy squishy feeling in her stomach she imagined other people associated with Santa and Christmas cookies.

She found that she didn't care whether the town gossiped over the union of the Evil Queen and the Savior, she felt so warm and content and loved for the first time in her life. She pulled Regina's chin up and kissed her soundly saying, "Maybe I should stay for a while…it really is cold outside."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who read/reviewed/followed/favorited this story. I have been completely overwhelmed with the response. I had only planned to write a one-shot, but due to several requests for a continuation, I decided to continue this. Thank you again for reading and please let me know what you think!**

******Have a Cup of Cheer**

As she turned the key in the lock to Mary Margaret's apartment hours later, Emma could not stop smiling. Despite the cleared roads and the wind dying down, Regina would not allow Emma to walk back to her mother's apartment, insisting instead upon driving her home. The streets had been utterly abandoned to the weather, leaving untouched snow over the small town. Between the beauty of the scenery and the fingers laced through hers, Emma had felt contentment wash over her. Regina had been chivalrous to the end, opening her door and holding out a long-fingered hand to help her stand before walking her to the door. She had blushingly given her a fleeting kiss before smiling and whispering "Good night" and turning back to her Mercedes.

Despite the late hour, Emma was unsurprised to see that her mother had waited up to see her home safely. She had called and texted Emma half a dozen times over the evening asking whether she was ok, even threatening at one point to send David over with his sword. David and Henry were apparently in bed already, but as her mother looked up over two mugs of hot cocoa, her expression clearly stated that Emma had some explaining to do.

With difficulty, Emma suppressed the eye roll she felt coming on at being treated like a teenager out past her curfew. She gave her mother a small smile before taking the cup indicated for her and muttering her thanks.

"So did you and Regina do it?" Snow asked.

Emma choked on her cocoa and took several minutes to recover, eyes streaming before replying, "Do what?"

"Get everything settled for tomorrow? You know, if you needed to make plans, you really should have had me come along for the meeting. I am basically running the town now, and besides, it's not safe for you to meet with her alone. Emma, she might try to…I don't know, put you under a spell."

"I'm fine, she didn't do anything to me," a slight flush crept up her neck at this as she thought that this was not entirely accurate, "Besides, I can take care of myself."

"Well, just make sure that you're around tomorrow. You missed out on a lot of fun Christmas activities tonight, but tomorrow will be even better. We're going to set up the nativity scene and watch movies, and…"

Now Emma was unable to refrain from rolling her eyes and interrupting her mother. "Yeah, um…I will definitely see what I can do, but you know, the tree lighting and all…have to be prepared." She made short work of her cocoa, regretting slamming it as it burned down her throat. "Anyway, thank you for the cocoa, good night!"

She stopped with her hand on the doorknob to her room when she heard softly behind her "I just wanted this to be a family Christmas."

With a sigh, she turned and said "I know, Mar…Mom. It's not that I don't appreciate having you guys around; I just don't really know how to be a part of a family. I promise I'll make an effort."

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Regina awoke with a start hearing her phone buzzing on the nightstand. She yawned and arched her back in a stretch feeling the tension release before reaching over to check the text she had received.

_Good Morning :) Care to join me for Breakfast?_

She smiled with bleary eyes and replied:

_I'd love to. I just have to wake up. Should I meet you somewhere?_

Reluctantly, she threw off the covers and began to rummage in her closet for something to wear. When she heard her phone buzz again, she raced back across the room, excitement overpowering her sluggishness.

_Yes, you should come open the door :)_

Regina was confused for a moment before running to the window and looking down she saw a familiar yellow bug parked in the driveway. Her smile lit her face for a moment before she realized she was in her pajamas with her hair mussed from sleep and she had on no make-up. She grimaced and pulled on her robe, stopping at the mirror to straighten her hair before heading downstairs to answer the door. When she opened it, her smile returned full force at the sight of Emma standing with a bag full of groceries on the porch. She immediately reached out to take the bag from her and led her into the kitchen. She had barely set the bag on the counter before she felt Emma's arms snaking around her waist and her lips kissing her earlobe before murmuring, "Good morning."

The feeling of Emma's breath against her ear made Regina's knees feel weak as she leaned into the embrace and sighed "Mmmm…morning."

"I thought perhaps Breakfast in bed would be nice, but seeing how I've not yet ventured into your bedroom…I thought maybe I'd simply make a special delivery."

Regina's heart had skipped a beat on the "yet" in Emma's sentence. She turned around and realized that she was at a distinct disadvantage.

"How is it fair that you're fully dressed and I'm still in my silky pajamas?" she playfully pouted.

"Well, I'd be happy to put on some silky pajamas to even the score if you'd like," Emma joked with a waggle of her eyebrows. "Or if you'd like, since I'm making you Breakfast, you could go and get ready for the day."

Regina replied by leaning in to kiss the White Knight soundly before bounding up the stairs yelling "I'll be down in fifteen minutes" over her shoulder.

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Emma chuckled as she watched the brunette scamper up the stairs and set to work making her world-famous silver-dollar pancakes and bacon. She knew that Regina rarely indulged in this kind of food, but she figured that once in a while she could make an exception.

As she began to move around the kitchen, quickly making herself comfortable, she couldn't help reflecting on how much had changed from the night before. She thought over their easy conversations about Henry growing up, about Emma's life moving around, and about the people of the town. They did not delve too deeply into difficult topics, but Emma did share that she was feeling unexpected pressure now that she was reunited with her parents to behave as a family. Regina had simply listened and shared that she too had become a part of a ready-made family when she married Snow's father and that she understood how difficult it could be to reconcile your own feelings to those of the family you adopted.

Emma had found herself amazed by how fascinated the mayor seemed to be with her life, moving across the country and changing jobs all the time. She had never considered that by being stuck in the same town for twenty-eight years as the only person with a full knowledge of the situation, Regina must have been lonely and…well, bored.

Although their night had not become more intimate, they had spent time holding hands and kissing passionately. Emma could not remember ever having enjoyed "making out" as much as she had with Regina. She felt herself flushing with the memory of one particular kiss on the couch that had very nearly propelled things forward and did not hear Regina come back down the stairs behind her. When hands gripped her shoulders and began to rub, Emma gave a start of surprise, and flipped a pancake in the air such that it landed unceremoniously upon a little drummer boy who had been marching across the counter. Fully aware of how tidy the woman behind her was, Emma cringed and turned to find Regina laughing heartily as the drum spun around and around, no longer held by the poor boy.

As she settled down, she pulled Emma down to her so that her lips were brushing against Emma's ear as she whispered "Something smells delicious".

As Regina's wet hair brushed against her cheek, Emma inhaled the scent of apples and cinnamon that was her shampoo and merely moaned in response. She turned off the stove and thoroughly kissed the mayor good morning, tasting peppermint toothpaste. She pulled back and said, "Come on, it'll get cold" and handed Regina a plate.

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After Breakfast and a dozen heated kisses along her jaw and across her throat, Emma had left regretfully and with promises to catch up with Regina later in the day at the tree lighting. She had grumbled about being force-fed Christmas cookies and made to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" before returning to the apartment to face her family.

Regina took her time finishing the dishes and wiping down her immaculate kitchen while reliving the past twenty-four hours in her mind. She felt such a wave of her own Christmas cheer that she found herself humming as she scrubbed at a non-existent spot on the counter. The day was going to drag by as she waited for the tree lighting later that evening. The morning had been so pleasant and she felt such a bubbling up of hope that she was overwhelmed by an abundance of energy. She decided to step out and finish some last minute Christmas shopping to help pass the time. After all, she felt now that the simple gift she had purchased for Emma was insufficient and if things were to continue in the way she hoped, she really should purchase a gift….sigh…for Snow and Charming as well.

Perhaps she would stop by Maurice's flower shop. She felt a giddy burst of romance she had not experienced since she was sneaking off to see Daniel in the stables as a girl. She faltered for a moment at this thought, but firmly reminded herself of his urging her to love again and forced herself to resume a measured pace.

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"_God Bless us Every One!"_ blared the television as Snow wiped her eyes, Henry clapped, and Emma relived the morning in her head with a small smile on her face. Believing her to be invested as firmly in A Christmas Carol as they were, Snow squeezed her hand and gave her a watery smile before sighing and saying "This is just so perfect."

Henry ran over and hugged them both "It really is! I'm so happy that I get to be with my family for Christmas!"

Emma's stomach clenched at this and she pulled back from Henry saying, "What about your mom, kid? Isn't she a part of your family anymore?"

"Well, I guess, but she's…she's the evil queen, right? I mean, she…I guess…"

"Henry…I think it's time to put some of that stuff behind us. I mean, your mom has been trying to do the right thing, right? And nobody deserves to be alone on Christmas."

Henry's eyes widened as he realized that he felt both ashamed that he had not thought of his mother for days and that now that he did think of her, he sincerely missed her. "Emma, you're right! I mean, she loves Christmas. I didn't even get her a present."

"Oh," Emma suddenly realized that the change in their relationship had been so abrupt she had not even considered what she should get the brunette for Christmas. "Well, maybe we should do that today, kid, I could get her something, too."

Snow intervened at this "Well, there really isn't time today, we need to finish wrapping gifts here and get ready; the tree lighting ceremony is only in a few hours." She said this in a neutral tone, but Emma could read the shift in her body language and expression.

"Henry, why don't you go in your room and finish wrapping your gifts, I want to talk to grandma for just a minute." The boy reluctantly turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"Can we please skip over the motherly lecture for today?"

"Emma, I just want to enjoy this opportunity to be with my family. I don't understand why she needs to be a part of that."

"Because she's Henry's mother. She raised him to be the kind, caring young man he is today. He would not have had the life he has had here if he'd been with me. And I meant what I said, nobody deserves to be alone on Christmas. I know all too well how that feels."

Snow sighed and raised her eyes to Emma's "You're right. I can't say that I completely trust her or that I am ready to forgive everything that's happened between us. But for Henry's sake, I will do my best to try to be civil."

"Thank you. Now, I really should get ready to go, I need to make sure everything is in place for the tree lighting later," she grimaced, "And I want to stop by Granny's and warn them against over-serving Leroy. I heard about last year's incident."

With that, the serious tone of the moment was broken. Mother and daughter shared a laugh and both felt the levity return between them. "See you later."

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As she walked out toward the town square, Regina thought to herself that this year she had noticed the early darkness more than any other. It was already nearly pitch black at 6:00 and although this was helpful in bringing out the town for the ceremony, she would be relieved when the days began to lengthen.

She felt nervous about the ceremony. This would be the first year that she was not participating in the event, as she had recently been asked to step down from her post as mayor. She was unsure of the welcome she would receive among the townspeople. The afternoon shopping had been tense, but the shopkeepers seemed reluctant to test whether her magic had been restored. Among the rest of the town and outnumbered, she felt unsure about what the reaction would be.

She had dressed in her mayoral best power suit, stiletto knee-high boots, and dark trench coat, pulled tight against the chill. With her chin high, she was determined that regardless of the outcome, she would not allow them to see her anxiety. Still, she stood on the fringe of the growing crowd, trying to nonchalantly glance around for the blond hair and red jacket that would indicate the person she most wanted to see. Doubtless, Henry would be with her, which made her heart rate increase as she realized she had not seen her son for over a week.

When she spotted them, they were standing with Snow and Charming at the front of the crowd, beaming smiles on the parents faces. Green eyes found brown and she felt grounded again as she allowed her smile to show. Emma leaned down to whisper to Henry, who looked up at her and waved, his face shining at her. Regina felt her breath catch as she beamed and waved back.

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Emma barely listened to the speeches given by her parents as she found herself gazing over the crowd, her eyes returning again and again to linger on the brunette mayor standing alone at the back of the crowd. As the Charmings spoke of the difficulties faced by the townspeople and their prospects for a bright future, she kept a watch out for any possible conflicts or incidents that might occur. Luckily, after only twenty minutes or so of crowd-rousing words, Emma handed the plug to her father, who lit the tree to uproarious applause.

From here, Snow invited the town to join together in singing Christmas Carols. It was like a scene straight out of How the Grinch Stole Christmas as the Whos down in Whoville gathered around the tree to sing. This was taking things a bit far for Emma's sensibility and she slipped to the back of the crowd, leaving Henry hand in hand with his grandparents.

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Regina had begun to turn to leave, certain that nobody would notice if she headed back home, when she felt a long fingered hand slip into her own and she looked around. Smiling down at her was her Sheriff with a twinkle in her green eyes.

"Leaving already?"

"Well, I figured that the town would not miss the Evil Queen with the Christmas spirit to share," she said this with a smile, but Emma could see the loneliness behind the words.

"I can't speak for the town, but I've missed you all day," even without a superpower, the sincerity behind these words was so apparent that Regina felt her lips curl up into a smile.

"The tree really is beautiful, you all did a wonderful job putting this together. And the way it reflects on the snow is…"

"Breathtaking, yeah," said Emma, not looking away from the brunette's face for a moment. "I still can't believe we got snow just in time for the ceremony."

"Yes, well…someone must have wished for a white Christmas."

Emma leaned in closer and under the guise of speaking confidentially placed a hot kiss on Regina's pulse point before murmuring "I'm kind-of wishing for a warmer, more private place right now."

Regina's body hummed with sudden warmth as she raised her lashes to look at the Sheriff, "What about Henry?"

"He's spending the night with my parents. They told me they wanted to have some time alone with him, I assume that they're wrapping my presents," she nibbled an earlobe "But there's something else I'd rather unwrap right now."

Regina felt her knees go weak and she looked quickly around at the crowd, who were not paying the two at the back the slightest attention. Without saying anything further, she led the Sheriff away from the crowd toward the mansion by the hand.

So distracted were the pair that they did not notice Snow craning her neck and catching sight of them just before they disappeared around the corner, her jaw dropping.


	3. Chapter 3

**Naughty and Nice**

**A/N: Thank you to Lupwned, my lovely and uber-talented Beta-Reader for her inspiration and assistance in writing! And thank YOU, my lovely readers for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following. I must warn that this chapter gets smutty, so if you are not into adult content, this would be one to skip. Thank you again and please let me know what you think. Thank you!**

As they walked up the path to the mansion hand in hand, Regina stopped Emma just before they reached the porch. "Wait here, just a moment, please. I have a surprise for you."

She walked into the kitchen where the flowers she had purchased earlier in the day were carefully placed in water on the island. She picked them up and looked them over carefully before striding back to the door. She held the brilliantly white bouquet behind her back as she opened the door. Emma looked up at her with an eyebrow perked as an inquiry. Regina pulled the flowers from behind her back with a flourish and Emma's face split into a smile.

"Are those for me?"

"No, Miss Swan they're for Granny, I should just run back to give them to her." Despite the developments they had made over the last day, she still felt the need to bait the stubbornly slow sheriff.

"Well, I wasn't sure. Nobody's actually ever bought me flowers before."

"Never? You mean Henry's father never…nobody?" Regina found she was genuinely shocked. She realized that everything she knew about Emma's past had been typed in the reports Sydney had provided her when the woman first came to town.

"They're beautiful, thank you very much." Emma said and took them, leaning in to kiss Regina and show her gratitude. Regina felt herself flush and pulled Emma close before ushering her inside.

"They're Gardenias," Regina replied, "They symbolically represent the sentiment that you're lovely. I've always appreciated the subtlety of communicating through the meaning of flowers. I bought them earlier today but I wanted to give them to you when we were alone."

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Emma found herself genuinely touched at the gesture Regina had made. While she had dated people, she had always carefully guarded against the kind of attachment that led to flowers and the like. The only person she had shared that kind of attachment with was Neal, and he was certainly not the romantic flowers type.

As she followed the brunette into the kitchen, Emma pushed her nose into the bouquet, enjoying their strong aroma. She reflected then not only on the flowers themselves, but on the care that had gone into selecting them. Regina had obviously been thinking about her to have put this much thought and attention into buying her flowers she wasn't even sure to be able to present. Especially considering that she had even considered the symbolic meaning in finding the perfect bouquet.

Regina presented Emma with a vase of water to place the flowers in, which she did. As soon as they were safely deposited on the island, she could not resist gently backing the brunette into the counter and putting her arms around her. As Emma held her tightly, she pushed a soft kiss onto Regina's cheek before nuzzling into her hair and whispering "Thank you, that's the most thoughtful thing someone's ever done for me."

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Regina felt warmth surge through her as she heard the blonde make her admission. She pulled her head back enough to capture Emma's lips. She enjoyed the feeling of Emma's slender body pressed against her own as she deepened the kiss and earned a moan from the sheriff. She reached around Emma's back, putting her hands underneath the sweater and jacket to feel her fingertips brush the hollow at the base of her spine. Emma shuddered and pulled back. Regina felt the loss of her warmth and looked up into green eyes.

"Perhaps we should take off our coats and stay awhile," said the blonde, pulling her arms out of her own before hanging it on the back of a chair and reaching to help Regina out of hers. As she took the shoulders of Regina's coat, she could not help brushing more kisses to the mayor's neck. Regina sighed happily.

"Can I offer you a drink, Miss Swan?"

Emma nipped at her neck before sliding her lips up to Regina's earlobe and purring "Emma".

Regina shivered, "Emma. I have some wine, or cider, or…" She abruptly stopped speaking as the blonde traced a finger over her bottom lip before looking up into her eyes with a hungry look.

Regina felt off-balance as she looked up into green eyes and realized how much she was enjoying this. Typically, she was the aggressor in her liaisons, and she had not allowed herself to be led since Daniel. She felt a need to restore her equilibrium, so she took a step away and walked toward the study to pour herself a cider from her crystal decanter.

She knew the blonde had followed her into the office and decided that in here, she had the advantage of feeling in her element. It was time for Regina to take control of this evening.

"Can I tempt you…Emma?" she asked this allowing her voice to drop as she pronounced the sheriff's name.

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The sound of her given name being caressed by Regina caused an electric jolt to pass through Emma's body. She found herself dumbstruck and thus simply nodded her desire for a glass of cider.

Regina turned and placed it in her hand before sipping her own with a sigh of satisfaction. She had allowed a drop to remain on her upper lip, which she flicked out her tongue to address. Emma's eyes were glued to the action and she shifted suddenly uncomfortably aroused She watched as Regina bent to plug in the Christmas tree lights in the corner, appreciating the inches her skirt lifted over toned thighs as she did so.

Emma felt her mouth go dry as Regina pulled off the blazer to her power suit only to reveal a plum-colored, sleeveless silk shirt underneath. At the back there was a V that went halfway down Regina's back that was simply lace revealing her smooth olive-colored skin underneath. Emma quickly drank about half her cider in order to restore some moisture to her mouth.

Regina sipped her own drink as Emma watched and went to turn on the switch to the fireplace. Memories of the previous evening warmed Emma and she felt her cheeks growing warm with the thought of Regina pressed against her and kissing her. She wondered what the brunette had in store for them this evening and was on the point of asking when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket.

_Emma. What is going on? Did you really leave hand-in-hand with Regina? We should talk. _

Emma sighed and responded _I'm fine, don't worry. Can we talk tomorrow? _

_Tomorrow? Does this mean that we shouldn't expect you tonight? Oh Emma._

"Is everything ok, Miss Swan? Is this perhaps a bad time for you?" Shit. Emma realized she had been completely ignoring Regina, who seemed less than thrilled.

"Everything is fine, it's just…Mary Margaret, err Snow saw us leaving and she thinks we need to talk."

Emma had barely looked up when she said that. She felt uncomfortable and annoyed that she was being treated like a child. She was an adult and perfectly capable of caring for herself. If she wanted to spend the night with her…well, she wasn't sure what Regina was to her now, or if she was even invited to spend the night. She frowned.

While she had been lost in contemplation, Regina had come up behind her and traced a finger down her back, dipping into the back of her jeans and pulling her closer. She grasped her hips and spun her around so they were facing each other. As she traced a finger up Emma's abdomen and reached her hand into blonde curls she said "Well I hope that maybe your mother can wait to talk to you until later. I had rather a different plan in mind for you this evening." As she finished she began to run her tongue from the hollow at the base of Emma's throat up to her pulse point.

Emma moaned at the contact and nearly dropped both her cider and her phone as she rushed to put her hands around Regina's neck. Regina chuckled and caught the arm holding her glass, taking it from her hand and setting it on the table.

Emma quickly looked down at her phone and texted:

_I promise I'm fine. You wanted to have Henry tonight anyway. Let's have Breakfast._

Without waiting for a response she tossed her phone on the table and grabbed Regina's hand, pulling her close. "Well, that's taken care of…now tell me about these plans."

Regina's lips curled in a wicked grin before she murmured, "Oh Miss Swan, the Evil Queen can never reveal her plans before they come to fruition."

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Regina allowed Emma a moment to absorb her words before taking her by the hand and leading her upstairs to her bedroom. She watched Emma look around at her tastefully understated furniture and watched as her gaze inevitably landed on her spacious and elegant bed. She closed the door with a quiet click, and Emma nearly jumped.

"No need to be frightened dear, I won't bite you…much."

Emma smiled nervously as Regina stepped in closer. Regina was curious that Emma seemed so shy suddenly, after the advances she had been making for most of the day. Still, Regina felt much more comfortable playing the dominant role, and she relished the thought that despite their constant battle to top the other, she retained dominance in this area.

She allowed her gaze to drift over the younger woman from top to bottom before returning to her eyes, lingering on their green depths. She cupped her hand around the back of Emma's neck and pulled her in for a kiss. She felt Emma's arms wrap around her back as she nipped and sucked at her lips. Regina ran her own hands up underneath Emma's shirt and allowed them to drift up to her shoulder blades softly before scratching their way back down.

Emma moaned as the fingernails left faint marks down her back and Regina was surprised and aroused at the thought that perhaps the sheriff enjoyed a bit of pain mixed with her pleasure. She decided to test the theory further by kissing her way down the blonde's neck and biting, slightly harder than she normally would. This elicited not only a guttural moan, but Emma thrusting her hips forward seeking further contact. Regina smiled.

She resumed her attack on Emma's lips, this time more forcefully as she backed Emma against the bed. She pushed her down to sit on the edge of the bed before bending at the waist to kiss her while she pulled Emma's sweater over her head. Her eyes darkened as she observed the lacy scraps of fabric covering her chest. She pulled Emma back to her feet and reached around her back to unhook her bra, slowly scraping her nails across her shoulder blades as she removed it. As the fabric fell away to the floor, she wasted no time in placing her lips over a nipple, allowing her lower lip to brush against it before enclosing her mouth around it. Emma moaned and threw her head back, lacing her fingers through Regina's hair.

Regina felt Emma clutching her more closely to her and chuckled as she nipped playfully at the hard peak in her mouth. "Patience, dear, we have all night."

She moved her mouth over to the other, neglected nipple as she unbuttoned Emma's pants and lowered the zipper with deliberately slow movements. As she lowered them to the floor an inch at a time, Regina trailed hot kisses down Emma's abdomen. When her jeans reached her knees, Regina pushed her back on the bed again as she removed boots and jeans. She scraped her fingernails up the from the outsides of Emma's ankles to the hollows at the front of her hips.

She placed her hands on either side of Emma on the bed and lowered her mouth to her belly button, swirling it before proceeding downward. When she reached the waistband of Emma's lacy black underwear, she placed a kiss directly atop her mound before stepping back. Emma growled as she had finally received the contact she craved and then had it removed.

Regina stepped back from the bed and kicked off her stiletto heels. She waited to be sure that Emma's stormy green eyes were riveted to her before slowly lifting her own shirt above her head revealing a sexy black lace bra underneath. She reached down and slowly lowered the zipper to her skirt, letting it fall. As she did so, she revealed that her stockings were actually lace-topped thigh highs attached to a satin black garter belt over a barely there black lace thong. Emma moaned again from the bed at the sight and began to run her hands over her own abdomen and up to clutch at her breasts.

"Why don't you make yourself more comfortable…Emma" again the tone of her voice as she said the name dripped in sensuality and she tilted her head to indicate that Emma should lie back against the pillows. Emma obliged so quickly that it was comical, clumsily scrambling up the bed. Regina straddled her hips and leaned in to kiss Emma fervently. Emma arched her back, craving more contact as she ran her hands down Regina's back to cup them on the delicious roundness of her ass. Regina moaned as she suddenly shivered and began to kiss down Emma's neck. As Emma's hands began to work down the backs of her thighs, she sat up and looked down at her.

Her brown eyes seemed even deeper and darker than usual as she gazed hungrily at Emma's body before she purred "I always knew you were beautiful, but now, like this…you are truly exquisite."

She brushed her palms across Emma's breasts, lightly palming them before squeezing abruptly, drawing another moan from the blonde as well as a thrust against her own heat. She closed her eyes at the sensation flooding her as she felt how wet Emma already was and realizing that her own panties were equally ruined. She scooted further down the bed, kneeling between Emma's legs and hooking her fingers around her panties on the sides of her hips, pulling them down being sure to scrape her nails along the length of her legs as she went. She felt her own need growing and knew that she would not be able to hold out for long, but she wanted to make sure that this was special for Emma.

She kissed her way up the inside of Emma's left thigh from knee to hip before lowering her head to do the same to the right. Emma's gasped "Regina…please…please I want you to touch me" broke her resolve and she immediately cupped her palm where Emma needed it most. She pressed firmly before using the tip of her index finger to run across the wet heat from bottom to top. Emma's eyes rolled back and she thrust her hips forward, needing to feel more pressure.

Regina lowered her head and flicked her tongue briefly across her most sensitive place before wrapping her lips around it. She was rewarded immediately as Emma cried out her name and shuddered. She reached her left hand up to tease Emma's nipple while thrusting two fingers of her right hand inside. Emma arched her back and moaned before grasping Regina's hair firmly between long fingers and pulling her closer.

Regina began a rhythm of thrusts that was led by Emma's gyrating hips and began to trace a spiral pattern around her clit, coming closer and closer without giving the direct pressure she knew would end the evening. When Emma began to shake with pleasure, she finally applied direct pressure slowly trailing her tongue from the base to the very tip before lightly flicking it back and forth. She continued this while hooking her fingers forward, causing Emma to increase her moans to a point where she was nearly screaming.

"Oh please, please don't stop. I love the way you feel inside me. Please."

Regina lost all ability to think and moaned deeply into her lover's wet warmth at these words. She sucked Emma into her mouth continuing to thrust as Emma began to shake in earnest, screaming her name as she came undone. Regina reveled in the feeling of her fingers squeezed tight as she felt her own orgasm upon her. She slowed her ministrations but did not stop until Emma reached down and touched her head.

She slowly withdrew her fingers and crawled up to lay beside Emma, who was shaking uncontrollably. Regina pulled her into her arms and kissed her gently before running her hands through her hair. "Are you ok, dear?"

Emma, momentarily unable to speak, simply gave her a thumbs up, before turning toward her and nuzzling into her neck. "Mmmmm…you are magical. That was amazing."

Regina merely chuckled as she trailed fingers lightly across Emma's abdomen. "You were pretty sexy yourself, sheriff."

"I haven't even gotten started yet" said Emma with a mischievous grin as she suddenly pounced and sat on the mayor's hips. She pulled her up to sit in front of her, kissing her insistently and pulling their chests close together. Her hands reached around Regina's back to unclasp her bra. As she carelessly tossed it to the side, she bit her lip and looked down appreciatively at the flawless olive skin in front of her. "God, you are absolutely incredible." Regina felt herself warming to the compliment. She had always felt powerful in her sexuality, but the way Emma was looking at her made her feel revered.

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Emma kissed her again and gently pushed her back into the pillows before planting kisses along her jaw to her ear. She traced her tongue around the shell of her ear before gently sucking on her earlobe. She trailed her tongue down from the hollow behind her ear to the hollow at the base of her throat. Emma trailed kisses across the curve of Regina's breast before kissing first one nipple then the other. She flicked her tongue quickly over the tip of the peak causing it to harden even more and drawing a deep moan from the woman beneath her. She traced lazy circles around one areola before moving over and repeating the ministrations on the other hardened peak.

She ran her fingers down Regina's sides, grinning mischievously when Regina stiffened and giggled, revealing herself ticklish. Emma smirked internally, reveling in learning the secret ways to elicit a moan or a gasp. She felt powerful learning the intimate secrets of the former Evil Queen.

"This was an insanely sexy choice" she stated as she tucked her fingers underneath the band of the garter belt and tracing her fingers along Regina's hips. Regina's brow furrowed as she felt her desire growing. Emma drew the garter belt and panties down with Regina's assistance, eagerly thrusting her hips up to allow for the removal. Emma rolled the stockings down her legs, kissing her way down one leg as she drew them down. Once the final layer between them was removed, Emma surveyed her lover and felt her desire beginning to increase again at the sight of the perfectly toned figure sprawled beneath her.

She wasted no time in tracing one finger across the wet warmth between Regina's legs. She found herself shivering in anticipation as she lowered her head to trace her tongue where her finger had just been. The spicy sweet taste of Regina caused her own arousal to pool between her thighs as she increased the pressure of her tongue, lavishing worshipful kisses from top to bottom. Regina's growling moans were driving the intensity higher as she arched her back and thrust her hips to press Emma's mouth harder onto her core. When Emma slowly pushed one finger inside, she felt her lover's walls clench around her and knew she would not be able to hold out for long. She added another finger and traced her name with her tongue across Regina's clit.

Regina reached down and gripped Emma's shoulders, her nails leaving marks in her skin as she clutched to keep herself grounded. Just when she was coming close to orgasm, Emma felt Regina pulling her shoulders, "Please, Emma, I need to feel your body against mine."

Emma complied immediately, keeping rhythm with her fingers as she crawled up, placing her own center against the back of her hand. She kissed Regina deeply and felt her nails running up and down her back. Regina eagerly kissed her back, frantic with the pace she was maintaining rapidly approaching ecstasy. When Emma moved her thumb in lazy circles over her clit, Regina cried out, her scream captured by Emma's kiss. She clutched Emma to her as she rode out the waves of her orgasm before collapsing against the mattress and drawing her lover down into her.

Emma pulled her fingers slowly out and licked them clean, keeping eye contact with Regina as she did so before moaning "You even taste amazing. Sugar and spice and everything nice." She adopted a goofy grin and kissed Regina gently before rolling over next to her and pulling her into her arms.

Regina sighed as Emma pulled her close and closed her eyes, feeling utterly spent and completely content to be tangled up in the woman beside her. The last thing she heard before she surrendered to sleep with a smile on her face was, "I must have been a very good girl this year."


	4. Chapter 4

**Do You Hear What I Hear**

**A/N: I apologize for the delay in updating and the post-Christmas timing of it. Luckily now that the holidays have passed I have a bit more time to write. Thank you so much for all the reads/reviews/favorites/follows. I have been so thrilled that people have enjoyed the story! Thank you to lupwned, my incomparably talented beta-reader for her feedback. Please read and review! **

Emma woke stretching her fingers out over the most exquisitely soft sheets she'd ever felt. Between the sumptuous thread count and the faint smell of apples and spice she knew that she was not in her own bed. She sleepily grinned recalling the events of the previous night and felt fingers trace over her lips. She raised her eyelids to view an unfairly gorgeous Regina smiling softly at her.

"It's not right that you look so beautiful when you first wake up."

"Well, dear, we can't all pull off the charming drool on the pillow look."

Emma's half-closed eyes shot open as she thrust her fingers at her mouth only to realize by the chuckle emitting next to her and her own dry hand that she was being teased. Her eyes narrowed and she playfully pushed Regina's shoulder away from her.

"What time is it anyway?"

"Nearly seven"

With a loud groan Emma sat up saying "Oh no…I better hustle, I'm supposed to meet my mother for Breakfast and a talk." She began hastily collecting her clothes and dressing.

"That sounds like it should be…cozy." Sarcasm dripped from the mayor's tongue.

Emma grimaced and shook her head saying "I'm not even sure what to tell her. I'm not used to having a parental type hovering over me and expecting me to be accountable."

"Accountable for what, dear? Surely you haven't violated your curfew."

A scowl crossed Emma's face as she laced her boots, "It's just…this is a situation where I would really like to talk to my best friend, Mary Margaret, and everything is so much more complicated now that I have to deal with her being my mother and fricking Snow White."

"What exactly do you wish to discuss with her?"

"This. Us. I don't even know exactly what that is, but it would be nice to be able to confide in my friend without judgment or parental scolding. Not to mention that she's got an antler up her butt about Christmas being family time and I don't know how to explain that I want to spend time with you, too. Plus, I want Henry to be with you for Christmas, you're his mother."

Regina was momentarily quiet as she contemplated her own discomfort with defining this burgeoning relationship between herself and the sheriff while simultaneously feeling touched that Emma had stated an intention to include her in Christmas with her and Henry. She took a moment to collect herself before swallowing her own misgivings at the proposal she was about to make.

"Well, dear, perhaps there is a way to ensure that everyone gets their family time for Christmas. You could invite the Charmings for dinner here. That way Henry could celebrate at home as he traditionally has done and your parents can be included."

Emma paused, unsure whether to feel reassured at the gesture or unsettled by the picture of a big family Christmas. "Um…are you sure that wouldn't be too much of a burden? I mean, I know that the relationship between you and my mother has not always been great."

"I think I can put aside my own dislike for one meal for Henry's sake…and for yours."

Emma pressed a quick but deep kiss to Regina's lips before beaming at her and saying, "I'll talk to her and I'll call you later, ok?" Reaching up for one more kiss, Regina nodded and smiled before nudging the sheriff toward the door.

"Good luck, dear."

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As Emma walked into Granny's ten minutes later, Mary Margaret was already sitting in their usual booth with two cups of cocoa in front of her. She looked as though she had barely slept and her impatience at Emma's late arrival was ill-disguised. Emma inwardly winced as she took in the usually patient teacher's fingers drumming the table.

Forcing a lopsided grin that did little to conceal her nervousness, Emma sat herself down opposite her mother and said "Sorry for being late, I um…woke up later than I planned."

"I can imagine." Snow White was stony faced.

Emma felt a flush creeping up her neck, a combination of embarrassment and irritation coloring her cheeks. "See, moments like these make me wish that I could speak to my friend Mary Margaret. She was always so supportive and non-judgmental."

At this, the other woman's face softened, but she squared her jaw and stated "Of course you can still talk to me, Emma. It's just, an affair with the woman who destroyed our family is a little hard for me to accept. After everything she's put us through, I cannot understand this."

"I don't see her like that. I am not excusing what she has done – I know better than most the consequences of her choices. But of anyone, I would think that you would understand that it is not as clear-cut as Henry's book would make it seem. I mean, she wasn't always…I don't even know what to call it. Evil is such a definitive descriptor."

"You're right, she was not always evil. But many of her choices have been, Emma. And she has spent most of her life manipulating people to ensure that her own needs were met. What makes you think that this is any different?"

"Well, for one, I'm pretty sure that I can assess someone's intentions for myself. My superpower, remember. But additionally…I've seen her beginning to make choices that serve the interests of Henry and me before her own. Surely you know that while we were gone she has been refraining from using magic."

Sighing softly, Snow replied "Yes, I know. For what it's worth, your father believes that she is genuinely trying to make a change. He urged me not to be too quick to judge. He shared with me what happened with Daniel and how she has been caring for Henry. I just can't help but distrust her to some degree, Emma. You have to understand, I adored Regina when I was a girl and she was kind to me. And despite the relationship I thought we had forged, she was constantly planning revenge upon me."

"Look, I'm not asking everyone to play happy family right now. I think it's way too early to even try to call this…whatever it is a relationship. I just want the space to be able to figure out what it is without feeling like I have to check in. No offence, but I'm not really used to the hovering mother routine."

A pained expression crossed Snow's features before she nodded slightly, acknowledging the request. "Just promise me you'll be careful. I don't want to have to watch more damage done to you or to Henry."

"I promise." Emma's face split in a genuine smile for the first time during their conversation and the tension was momentarily relieved before she remembered the invitation she was to extend and the corners of her mouth turned down. "So, about the Christmas plans…"

Back in her element, Snow beamed as she immediately launched into "Well, I thought we could all go Christmas caroling, decorate our own stockings, attend the Christmas pageant…"

"Regina would like to invite you and dad to join Henry and us for Christmas dinner." Emma felt the need to blurt this quickly and stem the Yule tide threatening to overtake her.

Her announcement was met with silence for several long minutes. "The Mayor/Evil Queen Regina is inviting Snow White and Prince Charming to join her for Christmas."

Emma tried to scowl at this but could not stop her lips from twitching upward at the absurdity of the statement. After a beat she snorted before beginning to laugh in earnest. Snow joined her and the two of them shared a deep belly laugh until tears streamed down their faces.

Regaining her composure, Snow looked at her daughter and knew that this was the most relaxed she had seen her since she'd arrived in Storybrooke and found her objections falling away. She gave a small nod and said "Of course, we'd love to spend the holiday with you and Henry. And I promise that I will set aside our issues for the night. Um…do you know what she wants? God, I never expected to be buying a Christmas gift for the Evil Queen."

"I have no idea of her Christmas list. I need to figure that out myself. Ugh…this is why I never stick around, it's so complicated. What do you get for someone who you have an ambiguous more than friendship with that has recently evolved out of a deep-seated resentment and constant bickering."

"No idea. What do you get for your erstwhile stepmother who cursed you and your entire family to a completely different realm."

"Yeah, I suppose Hallmark doesn't exactly make cards for moments like this. Well, I should probably get to the station so I can get some work done. Apparently I have my work cut out for me in figuring out a gift, so I'd like to leave work a bit early."

"Will you ask Regina what I should bring?"

Shaking her head slightly disbelieving at the turn of events she could never have predicted month ago, Emma replied "Of course. I'll call you later. And…thanks for everything."

Although she was traditionally reluctant to show physical affection, she found herself pulling the slight woman into a hug that felt comforting and familiar. Snow's heart leapt at the gesture and she returned the hug carefully hiding the tears that prickled the corners of her eyes from her stoic daughter.

"I'll see you later then. Have a good day."

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Regina was reliving the events of the previous night with an absurdly sappy smile on her face without realizing it when her phone rang. She jumped as the sound shook her out of her reverie and picked up stating curtly "Mayor Mills".

"Good morning, Madame Mayor."

At the sound of the sheriff's voice, the silly grin returned.

"Good morning, Sheriff. So how did the interrogation go?"

"All settled. It will be a Charming family Christmas at the Mills residence."

"I'm all atwitter." Regina's voice attempted to drip disdain, but her continued grinning utterly spoiled the effect.

"Haha…so what are you doing?"

"Working. As you might expect, having called me in my office."

"Oh, just thought you might be thinking about me." Despite herself, Regina felt a flush spreading across her chest and creep up her neck recalling what she had been thinking about when the phone rang.

"Sheriff, I really do have business to attend to. And a dinner to plan and prepare. If there are things we should discuss further, perhaps we could do so this evening. You could come by after dinner." The initial hardness of her words was softened as her voice dropped to a sultry growl by the end.

"It's a date. Have a wonderful day, Mayor Mills."

"And you, Sheriff Swan."


	5. Chapter 5

**I'll Be Home for Christmas**

**A/N: At last we come to the end of this little tale. It has been such a pleasure to write this fluffiness over the holiday season and I hope you have enjoyed reading. Thank you so much for all your kind reads/reviews/favorites/follows! I never anticipated how addictive they would become. Thank you to my phenomenal beta-reader**_** lupwned **_**for her valuable input. Please read and review if you enjoy it!**

Regina had not felt so flustered since arriving in this sleepy little town. Her kitchen was a mess, she herself was covered in flour, and the tea she was drinking did little to prevent the hot swooping panic in her stomach that told her this was a terrible idea. She had very little experience with happy family time and was terrified that she would somehow ruin this for Emma and Henry. Deciding that if tea could not soothe her nerves, perhaps it was time to switch to the hard stuff, she left the kitchen to fill a crystal glass from the decanter in her study.

As the first sip trickled down her throat and spread its fiery warmth, there came a frantic knocking on the door. She glanced at the clock atop the mantel and frowned when she realized it was still several hours before her guests were meant to arrive. She crossed to the front door, pulling off her apron hastily as she approached. She opened the door to find Emma outside holding an enormous bag of presents with a contagious smile.

"Afternoon, Madame Mayor."

"Good afternoon, Sheriff. I wasn't expecting anyone until later."

"Yeah, well, I figured maybe I could help get things ready and Henry was dying to show you his presents."

Regina realized abruptly that Henry was struggling to remove a duffle bag as well as a large shopping bag full of toys from Emma's bug. She hurried forward to take the duffle from him and he used his free arm to hug her around the waist, "Merry Christmas, Mom!"

Regina swallowed thickly as she said "Merry Christmas, Sweetheart. Let me help you."

They carried the bags inside the house. Henry deposited the bag of toys inside the door before reaching for the duffle and running it upstairs to his room.

Emma had returned to the foyer after placing the gifts in the study and she shrugged at Regina's confused expression. "Henry wanted to be home for Christmas. You don't mind if he stays here tonight?"

"Of course not, Henry is always welcome."

Emma stepped closer, putting one hand on the small of Regina's back and pulling her closer. "I thought maybe as a Christmas present to my parents we could give them the apartment to themselves for the night. That is, if you don't mind if I stay here, too."

She finished in a whisper before leaning in and kissing the brunette, who sighed. "I'd like that. Did you bring an overnight bag, too?"

Emma nodded "It's in the bug, although I warn you," her voice dropped to a husky murmur "I usually sleep in the nude." She dropped her head to plant a kiss behind Regina's ear.

Regina allowed her eyes to flutter closed and moaned deep in her throat before she heard footsteps coming back toward the stairs and reluctantly pulled away.

"I should really check on dinner" she said, clearing her throat. She realized looking at Emma that they were both now covered in flour and hastily brushed off her jacket as Henry ran down the stairs.

"Mom! Guess what?! Grandma and Grandpa got me a scooter! And a bow and arrow! And Grandma says she's going to teach me how to use it! And…"

"Kid" said Emma laughing at his excitement "Why don't we go put our presents under the tree and let your mom check on dinner. I'm sure she'll love to hear the full account." She took him gently by the shoulder and led him into the study where they began to pile gifts beneath the already packed tree, Henry exclaiming about how many of the tags read "To Henry".

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With Emma's help the kitchen was cleaned and the food prepared in short order. Henry filled the time with a seemingly endless stream of enthusiastic description of his gifts, the movies they'd watched, and the sword-fighting lessons he was taking from his grandfather.

Regina's excitement for having him home began to falter as she realized how little he'd missed her. She hid the falling expression by turning to check the turkey in the oven. Emma was able to pick up on her facial expression, and she offered her support by squeezing her elbow and giving her a soft smile.

Henry noticed and stopped talking for a moment, realizing with the perception of a much older person that something was amiss between his mothers.

"Mom? Are you ok?"

Regina wiped away a tear from her cheek hastily and turned with her best mayoral smile saying "Of course, sweetheart. I'm just happy that we're able to be together for the holiday."

"Me too" He frowned as he spoke with childlike earnestness "It didn't really feel like Christmas without being here. I didn't get to have cinnamon toast like we always do and I didn't get to use my Santa mug for my hot chocolate."

Her heart leapt at his words; she had missed their Christmas morning traditions as well. "Well, we won't be having dinner for a few hours. How would you like a piece of toast and some hot chocolate now?"

He beamed at her "Really? Can I even have my Santa mug?"

She chuckled as she pulled it out of its place of honor at the top of the cupboard. "As if you could use any other" she said with a genuine smile.

Emma cleared her throat to remind them of her presence "Um…I don't suppose there's enough for two?" Regina smiled at her and nodded.

"Oh Emma! Just wait until you try this! The sisters make the best cinnamon bread in the world, and then my mom makes hot chocolate, it's the best!"

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The three of them enjoyed a Christmas afternoon snack of cinnamon toast and cocoa as Henry brought out all his new toys to show Regina. Rather than feeling jealous, Regina recognized this as Henry and Emma's way of including her. She felt warmed that he wanted to share his gifts with her even if she could not be with him as he opened them.

When Henry had demonstrated how cool all of his new toys were, Emma surprised Regina again by saying "Why don't you go put your things in your room, Henry. And put them away properly please."

As he scampered up the stairs, Regina turned to her "Won't he just need to pack them back up later when he goes home?"

"He is home."

Regina was silent as she examined Emma's face. "But, what about…"

Emma sighed and looked away a moment before gazing back into Regina's eyes, her own turned a deep emerald by emotion. "Look, I spent a lot of my childhood being moved around. I would never want that for Henry. He is at home here. This is where he has grown up and it has been a safe and stable home. It's not fair to him for the issues among the adults to interfere with his stability."

Regina knew that beyond being a sign of Emma's trust of her and forgiveness of her transgressions, this was a reflection of her fierce protectiveness of Henry's purity of heart. Emma did not want Henry to be forced into adulthood prematurely as she was. It caused her heart to ache to think of Emma being so alone as a child, and she felt fortunate that despite this she had become such a generous and loving adult.

Regina had to swallow past a lump in her throat before she said "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me. It's what's best for our son. But it is not without conditions."

Regina's heart skipped a beat at hearing Emma say "our" son, but she felt a creeping dread at the thought of conditions. Was her time with Henry to be supervised?

"Conditions?"

"Yes, I want to be able to spend time with him."

"Well, of course, dear…"

"And I want my parents to have time with him as well."

Regina's face became more strained at this. Despite the time that had passed and her efforts to act hospitably toward her former stepdaughter, it still rankled that she was unable to have a happy ending that in some way did not involve Snow.

"Regina, I know the stuff that's between you in the past is difficult to set aside, for both of you. But Henry is lucky enough to have many people who love him and want to be involved in his life. That is something that I think both of us would have envied at his age, and I cannot think that we should deny him that."

Even more than the appeal to the lonely girl she had been, it was the plural pronouns that soothed Regina and pushed her to nod her agreement.

Emma grinned at her acquiescence and adopted a more mischievous grin before she turned Regina's face toward her with a finger to her chin.

"Besides, with the help of free baby-sitters, we'll have the opportunity to have some time alone" she waggled her eyebrows and smirked.

Regina shook her head but leaned in anyway, catching Emma's lips in a quick kiss.

"I'd better check the turkey and go get changed. Our guests should be here anytime now. If they come while I'm upstairs, would you please hang their coats and offer them a drink?"

"Your wish is my command, your majesty" Emma said as they both rose.

Regina spanked her playfully before grinning and heading into the kitchen.

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At six sharp the doorbell rang and Henry raced to open the door.

"Hi Grandma, Hi Gramps!"

"Hello Henry. You look handsome in your new sweater."

Henry beamed as he swept his arm to welcome them inside. Emma smiled warmly and asked to take their coats. Snow could not quite get past the strangeness of Emma hanging their coats in the mayor's closet, clearly very much at home. She forced a smile as she looked around the foyer.

Charming, sensing that this was a moment for Emma and his wife to spend in private, gave his daughter a quick hug before saying brightly "Henry, why don't you show me where I can put these presents?"

Left alone in the foyer, the two women descended into uncomfortable silence before snow said "Something smells delicious."

"Yeah. Regina really went all out; she's been working all day."

"It really was very nice for her to invite us."

"Um…would you like something to drink? There's wine or apple cider."

"Wine would be great."

Emma led her mother into the kitchen, feeling all the more awkward. She knew that Snow was upset that Henry and she were spending the night, but she felt unapologetic about it, so she didn't feel that there was any point to discussing it. Instead, she kept busy by pouring two glasses of chardonnay, cringing as she felt the dry liquor slide down her throat. She preferred sweeter wine, but under the circumstances, was happy for anything that might alleviate the tension.

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As Regina made her way down the stairs, she realized from the laughter coming from the study that Henry and Charming were enjoying their time together, but she did not hear Emma or Snow's voices. Wondering at this but deciding she really needed to check on dinner anyway she proceeded to the kitchen. She found mother and daughter giggling with an empty bottle of wine in front of them and another half already gone from a second bottle.

"My my, we seem to have caught the Christmas spirit."

Emma blushed as she realized abruptly just how intoxicated she was as she attempted to straighten up and lost her footing. "My mom was just telling me about the time that Leroy mistook the manger outside the convent for a restroom in front of the sisters and the children they were caroling with." She finished on another giggle.

"Ah yes, the drunken escapades of that dwarf are some of the more family-friendly Christmas tales from our beloved town" a sardonic smile twisted Regina's lips.

Finally paying attention enough to notice Regina's outfit Emma gapes at her appropriate but definitely sexy emerald green dress. Her eyes skim down the mayor's shapely legs before Regina pushes her chin up to close her mouth and murmurs "Eyes up dear, we have company" with a knowing smirk.

Snow pours herself another glass of wine, watching the exchange uncomfortably before interjecting "Your decorations are beautiful, Regina. And dinner smells fantastic. It was so kind of you invite us. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, thank you dear. I think we should be just about ready. If you'd like to gather the gentlemen from the living room, you can go ahead and be seated in the dining room."

Snow left to collect her husband and grandson. Emma let out a low whistle before saying "Wow, you look truly spectacular. Do I get to unwrap my present later?" She pulled Regina closer by her hips and kissed her neck.

"We'll have to see. Santa only comes for very good girls, after all. Now why don't you help me to carry the food into the dining room? Judging by Henry and your appetites, our guests will require feeding very soon."

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Despite earlier anxieties, dinner went surprisingly well. Regina had made abundant food and the whole party enjoyed filling their plates with seconds before declaring themselves stuffed. Henry kept the conversation lively asking for stories of adventures in Fairytale Land, which Snow and Charming were willing to provide.

At the start of the meal, Regina had remained mostly quiet, unsure how to participate in the excited chatter. She felt bolstered when Emma grasped her knee beneath the table and gave a reassuring squeeze. She interjected a story of her own from when she had been young and encountered a fairy while riding her horse. Even Snow had never heard the story and with all of them eagerly listening, Regina felt warmth spread through her like a tonic, bringing her out of herself and into the party.

After dinner, Snow and Charming insisted on helping to clean up and among the four adults, the food was put away and the dishes in the dishwasher in a short time. Henry was bouncing up and down with excitement that they had reached the gift-giving portion of the evening. He grabbed his mothers by the hand and dragged them both into the study, pushing them toward the sofa and situating himself on the floor at their feet. Snow and Charming sat together on the settee and Henry jumped back up to begin distributing gifts in piles before every person, his own being the largest.

As the adults opened their much smaller piles, they proudly displayed the tie and sweater Emma bought her parents, the hat and gloves Snow had knitted for Emma, and the gleaming sword Charming presented his daughter. Snow and Charming had brought Regina beautiful throw for her sitting room sofa and a very pretty scarf.

Out of anxiety over what might be contained in the packages, Snow and Charming left Regina's gifts for last. With a fleeting glance at one another Snow nodded to Charming to indicate that he should go ahead and open his. As Charming opened the long flat box, he expected to find inside another tie. He was delighted to discover instead gift cards to Storybrooke Adventure Park, which offered batting cages, laser tag, paint ball, mini golf, and arcade.

"I know that Snow had the opportunity to spend time with Emma when they returned to our land. I thought perhaps it was time for some father-daughter bonding." Regina looked vaguely uncomfortable, but gave a tentative smile as she spoke.

"I…don't know what to say. Thank you. How about it Emma? Willing to take on your old man?"

Emma's eyes were prickling as she looked at Regina and then her father saying quickly, "Absolutely, if you're ready to get your butt kicked. While you've been playing with puppies or whatever, I've been fighting ogres and zombies."

They all laughed at this and Snow felt her confidence boosted enough to open her own small package. As she lifted the lid and looked inside she gasped and raised her hand to her heart.

"But…this was left behind. How did you…"

"There were a few things I brought with me. I'm not sure why I held onto that in particular. Memories of a simpler time, I suppose." Regina's words were dismissive, but she worried her hands together in her lap.

Snow pulled out a beautiful antique-looking music box that had a painting of Snow White's childhood home across its porcelain top. She lifted the lid and they all listened silently to the enchanting melody that began. Snow's eyes filled with tears that she was unable to keep in check.

"It's beautiful, Mom, but why do I sense there's more to this story?"

Wiping her eyes and smiling, Snow explained "Regina gave this to me when I was a little girl. She knew that I was afraid to go to sleep in the dark and she said that the song would keep away bad spirits. It's one of the things I treasured most in my childhood."

Emma looked at Regina in awe. Regina for her part had now flushed bright red and was looking anywhere but at the three of them. She had wanted to communicate that she was trying to make amends, but she felt embarrassed at this open display of emotions.

Luckily, the mood was lifted as Henry, continuing to dig through his own pile of gifts exclaimed "The Avengers?! Awesome! Thanks Emma!"

With a tearful chuckle, Snow reached out and touched Regina's hand, waiting until she looked her in the face to say "Thank you, Regina."

Regina merely nodded in response before Emma thrust a small box toward her with a sheepish expression saying "Merry Christmas. I'm um…really new to this, so I hope you'll like it."

Regina smiled broadly at her and pulled back the wrapping paper to reveal a small jewelry box. She opened it to find a beautiful silver charm bracelet. As she looked at it more closely she saw that the charms represented a horse, an apple, baby shoes, a tree, a gavel, a crown, a heart, and a swan. She was silent for several moments, examining each charm with care.

Emma began to squirm anxiously, "I know it's not as fancy as the jewelry you usually wear and I know it's maybe sorta…" she stammered stupidly, blushing bright red and feeling her heart sink "But I thought that you could maybe build on it or…"

She stopped talking as Regina abruptly pulled her in and kissed her. While the kiss was chaste enough to be appropriate in front of Emma's parents and Henry, it communicated the deeper meaning behind it. Henry was oblivious, buried in his own presents, but Charming cleared his throat and Snow became teary-eyed again, remembering the same look on Regina's face when she was just a girl.

"I love it. Thank you." She tried to communicate with her eyes how sincerely she meant it.

Emma's heart beat faster from the kiss and she felt warm relief soak through her at the idea that she had gotten it right after all. She grinned madly when Regina held out her wrist asking her to clasp the bracelet for her. Fingers fumbling, she managed to attach it before they exchanged another broad smile.

Regina handed Emma her gift, which was considerably larger. Emma felt gleeful about opening it as she finally felt herself infected by the Christmas cheer. She tore at the paper with gusto and found herself holding a large leather-bound scrapbook. Her jaw dropped as she opened the page and found it filled with pictures of Henry from the time he had arrived in Storybrooke until the present. Among the pictures were assorted other items like a copy of his hand and foot prints he had made Regina for Mother's Day when he was three and in pre-school, his hospital bracelet from when he had fallen out of a tree when he was six and broken his leg, and a picture he had drawn when Emma had come to town of her wearing armor and carrying a sword. Everything from Henry's childhood that she had missed was represented in this book, but Emma saw little of it, her eyes too blurred by tears.

"When did you…how did you…I can't believe you did this for me."

"Before I had Henry, I was truly alone. He became the center of my whole world. I've kept everything he's ever made for me. I realized that I wouldn't have any of those things if you hadn't shared him with me. I thought it was time that I shared him with you."

Now even Charming was surreptitiously swiping at his cheeks as Snow openly wept and Emma merely stared at Regina with her eyes swimming. She pulled her in and rested her head against Regina's shoulder as she closed her eyes tight. She had no idea how to express emotions like the ones she was experiencing.

"Thank you" she whispered, knowing it wasn't nearly enough. She determined at that moment to return the care and trust that had been extended to her toward the fascinating and infinitely deep woman in her arms.

Pulling back but refusing to give up contact with Regina, Emma scooted closer and twined their fingers together as she pulled her feet up underneath her.

Henry had made short work of his pile, scattering wrapping paper around him and covering his sweater the bows he removed. The adults in the room looked on with great affection as he played Vanna White, displaying his comic books, video games, and a number of toys. As he opened his final gift he frowned, looking confused. It was a large, leather-bound book, much like his beloved Once Upon a Time, but its pages were blank. He looked up confused.

"Is this like a secret message or something? Does it have to be revealed by magic?"

"No Henry," Regina replied with a soft smile, "It just seemed to me that your previous book deserved a sequel. This time you can write down the stories and tell how they really end."

Henry's face changed from confusion to joy as he realized that sometimes the "Happily Ever After" fails to complete the story, and this was his chance to change that. As he looked around at his mothers curled up together on the couch and at his grandparents, rubbing noses together on the settee, he decided that Happily Ever After couldn't nearly cover how things turned out sometimes.


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